The Alexander City Outlook

Fitness specialists Matt Parker and Amy Jones, Kiwanis members Betsy Hodo and Leslie Wingler, fitness coordinator Cara Tidwell and director Jak Korte gather for a presentation of $120 scholarships from the Kiwanis club to three girls, Jordan Bailey, Kaitlyn Henderson and Malena Valdez. The scholarships are for the Total Lifestyle Change program. | Alison James

By Alison James

Online exclusive: Kiwanis scholarships

Published 6:32pm Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Three students in the Total Lifestyle Change program at Russell Medical Center will attend their next session for free, thanks to the Alexander City Kiwanis Club.

“We felt this was a way to touch individual students,” said vice president Betsy Hodo.

The club invited TLC participants to submit essays about how TLC had changed their lives and why they joined. Although Hodo said their initial commitment was to select two per session, they couldn’t choose.

So this time, three girls were awarded $120 scholarships.

“I wrote about how I’ve gained confidence since I joined the program,” said Malena Valdez, seventh grader from Coosa County. “I joined it to feel better and lose the weight that I had … since August of last year I have lost 51 pounds.”

Students in the 12-week program, which began in 2005, meet three times a week for an hour at a time with fitness specialists at RMC’s Total Fitness. They also meet with a dietitian.

“She’ll go through and hone in on how many calories they should have in a given day,” said fitness specialist Matt Parker.

Parker said they have six children in this session.

“It usually varies a lot,” Parker said. “At one point in time early this year I had 10.”

The next session starts the second week of October, but children can join at any time during the session, paying for only the weeks that are remaining.

“We usually try to get them to do about 45–50 minutes of cardio,” Parker said. “The other portion of the class we focus a lot on their presidential exams they have to do in their P.E. classes.”

The program is open to children ages 9–14.

For more information or to enroll a child in a session call Parker at 256-329-7623.